You’re Killing Me Smalls!
One of the most classic lines of my generation. (The Sandlot- if you lived under a rock in the 90’s)
But I’m not talking about movies or even baseball here.
(Stick with me here.)
Im talking about that silent killer.
Stress.
The one thing that kills us slowly and often silently.
Stress has been given a bad name however.
Without it, we wouldn’t grow, succeed and achieve.
It’s what build us up.
Without the stress created from exercise we’d have no muscle growth.
Without the stress of our jobs, we wouldn’t experience break throughs or advance.
Without the stress from our family members we wouldn’t be able to experience the love that comes from making amends.
It is what builds us all up.
But it can also break us down.
And it breaks many of us down.
Why?
One of the most beneficial skills isn’t often taught to us.
It certainly isn’t a course in schools. (Things that make you go hmm?
We are often left to fend for ourselves on this one.
When we can not deal with stress properly we seek comfort.
While for many it is from drugs and or substances, there are other forms of comfort.
Drugs, alcohol and violence are looked down upon and for good reason.
But food, that is something we all need to survive.
It’s generally and socially accepted to cope with stress with food.
It’s therefore the comfort so many seek in times of stress.
And when it comes to trying to lose weight and get healthy, it is often the most silent of killers in that regard.
It stops your progress in its tracks.
Without getting scientific and how it releases cortisol and what that does it us internally, it wreaks havoc on your progress.
Your intentions are great.
You want to be healthy for your spouse, kids, career or life in general.
But then life happens.
You stress, and then you need a way to cope.
So you grab the oreos, or ice cream, or chips, or all three.
On top of the internal turmoil going on inside you you indirectly thwart the progress you’ve mad for are trying to make in your health and fitness.
One of the best quotes I’ve heard came from the rap group Dead Prez, “I used to let stress build up until I learned, Stress will eat your inside out like worms.”
It is so true.
It will damage your entire life if you don’t learn how to handle and deal with it accordingly.
So how then do you deal with stress in a productive manner??
I’ll leave you with the words from the same song.
Let it sink in.
Then tomorrow we’ll learn so ways that can help you deal with the inevitable stressors of life.
“I’ve been through my share of this hell, but still I rise
Many days didn’t know what to do
But we survived
EVERY STRUGGLE IS A TEST, A LESSON
You just gotta figure out how to overcome and
CATCH THE BLESSIN.”
Till tomorrow.
Peace, love & fitness,
Matt C.
